Tis the season for online shopping! While it’s oh so convenient to shop online in your jammies from the comfort of your home, don’t be so quick to purchase that ridiculously low priced item without doing a little homework on the store first. Fraudulent online storefronts that lure you in with absurdly low prices on hot-ticket items not only are a great magnet for credit card fraud, but they can also put spyware and pop-ups on your machine affecting how you view other sites.
Norton.com has a great article of things to review on a site before making a purchase at a new retailer: http://us.norton.com/yoursecurityresource/detail.jsp?aid=secure_shopping. Things like pop-up ads, unbelievably low prices, and the lack of a phone number/address are some of the first signs that it might be too good to be true. Don’t let your computer- or your bank account- become vulnerable to scams. Make smart online purchases from reputable retailers and bask in the glory of the time you saved versus going into the store. Happy Shopping!
